Monday, May 25, 2015

We have an annual April visit to the cemetery, remembering Grandpa Gordon. This past April, it was cold and chilly as we went on Saturday. Ana and Pam had gone earlier, on the actual anniversary of his passing. The picture above, is the classic "Gray Selfie" and the one below is with a timer.

When Memorial Day came around, the house was filled with the kids friends, and I felt like I should stay and supervise. Gray met up with Pammy and they visited the graves of the other family members (they'd gone to see Grandma Henry's grave during the Moab trip).

Up to Alpine for Pam's Dad and Granny Goose.

They met up with my folks to visit the baby's graves.

My little sister and brother

They didn't grab a picture of Paula's ...

Grandma and Grandpa Blackham

Aunt Nessa

Cousin Dick

...and of course Granny Goose

Gray thought the Coke bottle was an especially good touch.

On May 29, Grayson posted a tribute on Facebook.
Many family members shared memories too.

The incomparable Granny Goose

Six years ago today this Goose flew the coup, and there wasn’t much we could do about it.

I remember:

A pink Cadillac

Black licorice

Oceans of Coke

Skip-Bo

A key ring big enough to fit half way up her forearm (and, of course, the jingle bell)

Friday, May 22, 2015

It was a day in May, when Gray (did you catch my rhyming there?) suggested we take a walk up around Silver Lake. It was a nice Sunday afternoon adventure. We remembered trips to the lake before, when Landon was just a baby, shortly before Cooper was born ...

We are missing Landon in these family photos (and experiences!)

Closer to home, we've also been taking walks along the canal ...

This dirt road runs along the canal right at the entrance to our neighborhood. It's a popular walking trail, and at this time of year, you can often see mama ducks and their little broods. We were lucky enough to see such a sight ...

On this trip down the canal, we also saw a bush with a billion ladybugs on it!

Okay, maybe not a billion, but a LOT.

Another walk down the canal, and we saw FIVE different mommy ducks and their babies. It seems like whenever we see the babies they are so small, just a few days old. It is amazing how quickly they can swim and even scramble up the steep bank of the canal.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Ah Mother's Day ... I had actually gotten up, but the boys said "back to bed!" The whole "breakfast in bed" thing is a bit of a tradition. The picture with the boys looks lacking without Landon! But being Mother's Day, we'd get to talk to him later.

Gray poked his head in ...

(barely, that's not even a quarter dome!)

for his traditional selfie-shot.

Cooper helped with the bacon!

... and I got a record player!

I actually really wanted a record player. I had recently obtained a big box of old albums from my childhood and was anxious to relive and re-listen to all the songs. There was music this Mother's Day! There will definitely be another post about these musical memories in the future.

... I also played (and sang along) the old classic from SONGS FOR A MORMON CHILD "When I Grow Up I Want to be a Mother" ... it seemed appropriate for the day! *Ü* Now I just need to convert some of these to MP3 to make sharing and listening to them easier.

Sunday, May 10, 2015

The mother of my bride, the mother of my boys, and a mother of my own.

Their firstborn were all boys.

They became mothers in 1963, 1969 and 1995. One has 3 boys, one has 4 boys and one has 5 boys (though some may say she really has 6 boys). One has 2 biological daughters, one has 2 adopted daughters and one has no daughters. And they each "mother" in a way all their own.

I have an individual and unique relationship with each one. And at the risk of oversimplifying this, there are three hopes or desires that are woven deeply into these relationships and how they approach this somewhat rogue male. Here they are:

A strong desire for me to be safe and healthy, mostly protecting me from myself :)

The hope that I live up to my potential, seeing in me more than I see in myself

The desire that I am happy, whether or not it is merited

That’s pretty good stuff. These are the most genuine, unfiltered, pure expressions that emanate from these relationships, from these women. I am theirs and they are mine and I feel more fortunate than I deserve or can express. And while today is the official day we've set apart to recognize them… as well we should… the reality is that I think about them and our relationships continuously. They are always on my mind… always in my heart.

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Grayson was out of town on Sunday, May 3 ... his mother's birthday. He had prepared a post for Facebook though, and made sure I got it posted for him. His words are always so touching and profound.

Here's his post ...

Goose and Zeke named her Pamela. That's what her birth certificate says. However, throughout her life she has been known by a host of monikers that are a clear indication of the affection people have for this dear soul. I wish I knew, and had time and space to share the story behind each name. Much of her history lies therein...

Pamela

Pam

Pammy

Hammy

Maga

Gaga

Peep

The moose (you'll have to ask Gordy on this one)

Mom

Mum

Pammy-whammy ding-dong

Today marks 69 years for her. Some will assuredly say or think it's not polite to mention a woman's age but, for me, this is something to celebrate, not recoil from. As has been the case for the 4 1/2 decades of my life with her, and up to the present time, she is often met with disbelief by those who are told her age. Indeed, there have been more than a few times someone thought I was her brother, not her son. And truth be told, she loves every minute of it... as well she should.

For my part, there is a moniker that has come into view only in recent years… friend.

She is my friend.

She has an innate ability to make you feel important, validated. At least that has been my experience. In the midst of her own turmoil, she finds a way to deflect the spotlight and shine it on those around her, far more interested is what is going on with others than herself. That is the magic of Pammy. I can't explain it, nor does it need explaining. I can just revel in it.

So today, I’m basking in the fiery glow of the candles on that cake, and wishing her a happy day and many, many more to come.

Our Family

Grayson, Jen, Landon, Callahan, Keaton, Cooper and Colton

Welcome to the Blackham Blog ... I'm always a little slow jumping in on the latest trends. While some people have been blogging for years, I just started in 2010 (although I have been backdating some posts). This makes me feel less guilty about not scrapbooking, sharing our pictures/posts with family and friends.

Daily Doings and Weekly Reports

Family & Friend Blog Logs

I was never one to follow people's blogs ... until I started my own. I know you can officially "follow" people, but I've found that the easiest way for me to keep up with others is to list them here ... those updated the most recently move to the top. Thank you all for your inspiration *Ü*

Alt Codes

Ok - I often want to add some symbols (like "cents" or "degrees") and I can NEVER remember what they are or where I found them ... so I'm putting my favorites HERE for reference! Just hit the "ALT" key and then the #'s to create these symbols ...

Book Quotes

I read book 2 and 3 back to back, and feel like they were just one long story. The first installment was it's own story. I almost felt like the first couple chapters of book 2 could have been included in the first book. It picks up right...

I remember REALLY liking book one of this series. I knew it was going to be a trilogy, but figured I'd wait until I could read the final two back to back. So ... it has been a while since I read the first book. I remembered the basic sto...

I'm not sure what caught my eye, causing me to pick up this book. Although as an adult I often read YA, this seemed aimed at an even younger audience (with the main character being in 6th grade). Although there is a slight mystical/myste...

Ah ... the conclusion, and this was a definite conclusion. Like a few other series (Harry Potter, Frost Chronicles) the very end does wrap up years and years, showing us the full lives of these characters we've come to know.
This book d...

It was nice to pick this up and continue on with the story immediately after finishing book four. Another continuation of the story, a little more of a cliff-hanger ending then the others, but the first few chapters of Book6 were there a...

I started 2014 reading the first three books in this series, and finished the year reading the last three. I did a combo review of the first three books and I'm having a hard time thinking of reviewing the final three separately (I have ...

When I read book one, I didn't love it, but was intrigued enough to continue on and find out what happened here in book two. I liked this book better than the first. I'm not sure if that was simply because I'd already been introduced to ...

The conclusion to this series. I enjoyed the book, I enjoyed the series! I'd known this final one was out and I went ahead and bought it (and then it appeared at my library the next day, I could have saved a bit of $$ if I'd waited) ... ...

2.5 stars. I liked the first book, enough to give this second in the series a try. But ... I think I was a little burned out on the story even as I started. I had to force myself to finish. All the time travel, changes, jumping around wa...

I THINK I liked this better than the first book. Maybe already having the scene set and the characters established ... or the glimpse into how this world came about and other twists were just a bit more interesting than book 1. Still a s...

2.5 stars. I do really enjoy the dystopian trend ... this book just didn't really grab me. The romance wasn't really there, no build up, no believability. So many things just seemed to happen without any real meaning or reason behind the...

I really need to review my books before they go back to the library! I remember liking this book fine. I do really like the dystopian stuff, but although the setting was promising, it just didn't really deliver. It just didn't make that ...

My 5th grader was reading this in school, and I downloaded a digital copy from the library to read along with him, to be able to discuss the developments. I'd read it before years and years ago, and remembered the basics.
It was interes...

3.5 stars. I'd heard a lot of good things about this book, and as I picked it up and started reading, I really enjoyed it. It was cute, light, the writing was fun and would make me smile. About half way through the book though, it got a ...

2.5 stars ... it was okay. There were a few things that simply drove me cRazy as I read this book!
I'm a little more into the supernatural/fantasy/sciencefiction/dystopian stuff. When it's already so "out there" I think I'm much more wi...

I like coming into a complete series, where I can read the books back to back if I wish. Sometimes I still don't ... I want a break between books. But here, I did continue reading. It was just an interesting concept, and each book had it...

I'm not in love with this series, but it is interesting. While book one still left things a bit open-ended, it did have a conclusion and I wondered a bit how the story would continue. This did pick up in the days after book 1 ended, and ...

Jessica Day ... it was a little weird how often the character was referred to by her full name throughout the book. It almost always felt off to me.
The storyline was interesting. There were little images included at the end of each ch...

This book had a very interesting premise. Only one night has passed for sixteen-year-old Kyra, but five years have gone by for everyone else. She has been missing, but she hasn't aged, she is still the same ... or is she?
The writing wa...

3.5 stars. I did like this book. Time travel always boggles my mind a bit. Even with the complexities of that, at times the book felt a tad simplistic, aimed at a younger audience than the main character (around 16 years old).
It's bee...